Thill-coupling



(No Model.)

W. J. RIDEOUT & J. W. MERRITT.

THILL COUPLING.

No. 493.387. Patented Mar. 14, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE.

WVILLIAM J. RIDEOUT AND JOHN W. MERRITT, OF ATVVOOD, ILLINOIS.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,387, dated March14, 1893.

Application filed October 25, 1892. Serial No. 449,965. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM J. RIDEOUT and JOHN W. MERRITT, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Atwood, in the county of Piatt and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Couplings; and we do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to thill couplings, and it has for its object toprovide a simple and improved device of this character which willpossess advantages in point of inexpensiveness and durability inconstruction and general efficiency.

To this end, the invention consists, substantially, in the construction,combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective View of a thill coupling,embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3is a vertical longitudinal sectional view thereof. Fig. 4 is a top orplan view.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are denoted by the same lettersof reference.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a casing, which is provided atits rear end with a clip, B, for attaching the same to the vehicle axle.The casing A is formed with a vertical longitudinal chamber, G, open atthe top and front end of the casing, and the side walls of said chamberare provided with coincident downwardly and forwardly curved slots, D D.

E designates the thil1-iron, which is provided with a segmentally-curvedhead, 6, the latter having at each side an outwardly-proj ecting bearingstud, e. In practice, the thilliron head is seated between theforwardends of the side walls of the casing, with the bearing studs ebearing in the lower, closed ends of the slots D.

To retain the thill iron head and the bearing studs in their properpositions, a block, F, is provided. The latter has at its rear end andat opposite sides outwardly-projecting bearing studs, g g, which areseated in longitudinally-elongated slots, G G, provided in the sidewalls of the casing. The block is approximately triangular in sideelevation, andhas its front side curved as at f, to conform to thecontour of the thill-iron head. This block is also provided with a lug,f, which is adapted to engage a recess, f in the periphery of thethill-iron head. By this construction, when the thill is lowered therecess f is engaged by the lug f, and the block is elevated, but whenthe thill is raised, the block is in like manner lowered. For exerting aforward pressure upon the block F, and consequently prevent rattling ofthe thilliron, a rubber block, H, is inserted in the chamber 0 betweenthe rear wall thereof and the block F. The latter is thus urgedforwardly, the elongated bearing slots G permitting such movement. Theblock H is held in place by means of a screw, h, passing therethroughand secured in the rear wall of the chamber 0.

It will be noted that while the bearings of the thill-iron and the blockF are described as lugs at the sides thereof, we may employ a pin passedthrough an aperture in the thilliron and the block to serve the samepurpose, and without departing from the spirit and scope of ourinvention, or the lugs on thill iron may have at ends of same ahead toprevent any spreading of easing (A) when in use.

We claim as our invention 1. In athill coupling, the combination, with acasing provided with a vertical longitudinal chamber, downwardly andforwardly extending slots, and with longitudinally-elongated slots, of athill iron provided with bearings seated in the first-mentioned slots,anda forwardly-yielding block provided with bearings disposed in saidelongated slots, said block being adapted to bear against the thilliron; substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a thill coupling, the combination, with a casing provided with avertical longitudinal chamber and with downwardly and forwardly curvedslots, of a thill iron comprising a head seated in said chamber, saidhead ings seated in the slots G, and an elastic block, H, interposedbetween the rear wall of the chamber and the block F, and adapted tourge the latter forwardly against the thill iron; substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix on r signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM J. RIDEOUT. JOHN W. MERRITT.

Witnesses:

CHARLEY 0. DAY, J AMES D. RAss.

